The Catholic Mass
The Real Presence, The Most Holy Eucharist
Did
the Catholic Church invent the Mass and the Eucharist in 1000 A.D.?
St.
Justin describes the Mass. (The year is 150 A.D.; he is a martyr who
was beheaded in 165 at Rome Italy
“The people gathered
together on Sunday, the ‘Lord’s Day’ participated in prayers and hymns,
and listened to readings from the Old Testament and from the writings
of the apostles. Then as always, bread and wine and water were offered
and the words of Jesus at the Last Supper were prayed by the one
presiding. The people received the body and blood of Christ, and the
Holy Communion was brought to the sick. A collection was taken for the
poor and the needy.”
St. Paul wrote: "For whenever
you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death
until he comes."1 Cor 11:26. He also wrote: “The cup of blessing
that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The
bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body for we
all partake of the one loaf” (1 Cor 11:16-17 and 1 Cor 12). Through the centuries, the Mass has
remained fully intact. The Mass takes place every 2 minutes somewhere
on the earth, 7 days a week, all year long except on Good Friday
(1 Cor 11:26).
St.
Ignatius of Antioch’s Letter to the Smyrnaeans on the Mass. (The year
is 110 A.D.)
He became the
third bishop of Antioch, succeeding St. Evodius, who was the immediate
successor of St. Peter. He received the martyr’s crown as he was thrown
to wild beasts in the arena. He wrote:
“They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not
profess that the Eucharist (Jn 6:66) is the flesh of our Savior Jesus
Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in
His graciousness, raised from the dead.”
It is the Mass that has brought
Christ into the present. It is the sign given as you contemplate all of
chapter 6 in John's gospel.
In
Scripture and the words of the early Church Fathers
(See Luke 24:30-31, 33, 35 )
When he was at table
with them, he took bread, blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to
them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he
vanished from their sight. That same hour they got up and returned to
Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered
together. Then they told
what had happened on the road, and how Jesus had been made known to
them
in the breaking of the bread.
No matter what Christian sect one might attend there is no mistaking
the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist at Mass in scripture and
in the Early Church Fathers own words. It is the Christian Mass from
the time of the Last Supper that has brought Christianity into the here
and now.
It is the sign given as you contemplate Johns Gospel Chapter 6. The Mass takes place every 2 minutes
somewhere on the earth, 7 days a week, all year long except for Good
Friday. The
connection that
is made between the Cross then and the Cross now is breathtaking when
one connects the dots softly hidden amongst the 7 Sacraments. Did not
Jesus take on the sins of the world, past present and future, once for
all, for
what we
have done and for what we have failed to do? Do we not
proclaim His death until He comes again? Jesus showed us what he could
do with a little bread and a few fish by feeding the multitudes (Jn
6:23-27). Jesus was constantly showing us His power over
nature herself to prepare our hearts and our minds for the food that
was to nourish each of us on our journey. "The cup of blessing that we
bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that
we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the
loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake
of the one loaf." (1Cor 10:16-17)
When He spoke
of this food from heaven to be given many of His disciples left because
what he was saying was to hard for them to believe (John
6:66). But the Apostles stayed and were rewarded
with the last supper, along with His Spirit at Pentecost (Jn 20:19, 22-23).,
Him to be with them, in them. On the evening of that day,
the first day of the week, Jesus showed himself to his apostles. It's
easy to put up resistance to the Most Holy Eucharist when one is
looking
from the outside in, but one can not argue that it is at the very
center
of the "why and reason" Christianity has survived the attacks
from
the outside as well as the inside for 2000 years.
"We cannot separate our
lives from the Eucharist; the moment we do, something breaks. The
Eucharist involves more than just receiving; it also involves
satisfying the hunger of Christ. He says "come to me". He is hungry for
souls. Nowhere does the Gospel say: "Go Away" but always "Come to
Me"….The Eucharist is connected with the passion. If Jesus had not
established the Eucharist we would have forgotten the
crucifixion….To make sure that we do not forget, Jesus gave us the
Eucharist
as a memorial of His love."
…………Mother Teresa
"A golden thread of
gospel grace
runs through the whole web of the Old Testament. Christ is the opener
of
Scripture; and even after his resurrection, he led people to know the
mystery
concerning himself, not by advancing new notions, but by showing how
the
Scripture was fulfilled in Him, and turning them to the earnest study
of
it. Those that have experienced the pleasure and profit of communion
with him, cannot but desire more of his company. He took bread, and
blessed it, and broke it, and gave to them. This he did with his usual
authority and affection, with the same manner, perhaps with the same
words. Here he teaches us to crave every meal, our daily bread - (John chapter 6; John chapters 14-17) See how Christ by his Spirit and
grace makes himself known to the souls of his people through the
breaking of the bread. He opens the Scriptures to them. He meets them
at his table, in
the ordinance of the Lord's supper. But the work is completed by the
opening of the eyes of their mind; yet it is but short views we have of
Christ in this world, but when we enter heaven, we shall see him for
ever." ...Thomas Kempis
THE DIDACHE
The Didache or "The
Teaching of the Twelve Apostles" is a manuscript which was used by 2nd
century bishops and priests for the instruction of catechumens. Many
early Christian writers have referenced it making this document
relatively easy to date.
"Let no one eat and drink
of your Eucharist but those baptized in the name of the Lord; to this,
too the saying of the Lord is applicable: 'Do not give to dogs what is
sacred'".
"On the Lord's own day,
assemble in common to break bread and offer thanks; but first confess
your sins, so that your sacrifice may be pure. However, no one
quarreling with his brother may join your meeting until they are
reconciled; your sacrifice must not
be defiled. For here we have the saying of the Lord: 'In every place
and
time offer me a pure sacrifice; for I am a mighty King, says the Lord;
and
my name spreads terror among the nations.'"
ST. CLEMENT OF ROME
St. Clement was the third
successor of Peter as Bishop of Rome; otherwise known as the third
Pope.
"Since then these things
are manifest to us, and we have looked into the depths of the divine
knowledge, we ought to do in order all things which the Master
commanded us to perform at appointed times. He commanded us to
celebrate sacrifices and services, and that it should not be
thoughtlessly or disorderly, but at fixed times and hours. He has
Himself fixed by His supreme will the places and persons whom He
desires for these celebrations, in order that all things may be done
piously according to His good pleasure, and be acceptable to His will.
So then those who offer their oblations at the appointed seasons are
acceptable and blessed, but they follow the laws of the Master and do
not sin. For to the high priest his proper ministrations are allotted,
and to the priests the proper place has been appointed, and on Levites
their proper services have been imposed. The layman is bound by the
ordinances for the laity."
Source: St. Clement,
bishop of Rome, 80 A.D., to the Corinthians
"Our sin will not be
small if
we eject from the episcopate those who blamelessly and holily have
offered its Sacrifices."
Source: Letter to the
Corinthians, [44,4]
ST. IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH
St. Ignatius became the
third bishop of Antioch, succeeding St. Evodius, who was the immediate
successor of St. Peter. He heard St. John preach when he was a boy and
knew St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. Seven of his letters written to
various Christian communities have been preserved. Eventually, he
received the martyr's crown as he was thrown to wild beasts in the
arena.
"Consider how contrary to
the mind of God are the heterodox in regard to the grace of God which
has come to us. They have no regard for charity, none for the widow,
the orphan, the oppressed, none for the man in prison, the hungry or
the thirsty. They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because
they do not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus
Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in
His graciousness, raised from the dead."
"Letter to the
Smyrnaeans", paragraph 6. circa 80-110 A.D.
"Come together in common,
one and all without exception in charity, in one faith and in one Jesus
Christ, who is of the race of David according to the flesh, the son of
man, and the Son of God, so that with undivided mind you may obey the
bishop and the
priests, and break one Bread which is the medicine of immortality and
the
antidote against death, enabling us to live forever in Jesus Christ."
-"Letter to the
Ephesians", paragraph 20, c. 80-110 A.D.
"I have no taste for the
food that perishes nor for the pleasures of this life. I want the Bread
of God which is the Flesh of Christ, who was the seed of David; and for
drink I desire His Blood which is love that cannot be destroyed."
-"Letter to the Romans",
paragraph 7, circa 80-110 A.D.
"Take care, then who
belong to God and to Jesus Christ - they are with the bishop. And those
who repent and come to the unity of the Church - they too shall be of
God, and will be living according to Jesus Christ. Do not err, my
brethren: if anyone follow a schismatic, he will not inherit the
Kingdom of God. If any man walk about with strange doctrine, he cannot
lie down with the passion. Take care,
then, to use one Eucharist, so that whatever you do, you do according
to
God: for there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup in
the
union of His Blood; one altar, as there is one bishop with the
presbytery
and my fellow servants, the deacons."
-Epistle to the
Philadelphians, 3:2-4:1, 110 A.D.
ST. JUSTIN MARTYR
St. Justin Martyr was
born a
pagan but converted to Christianity after studying philosophy. He was a
prolific
writer and many Church scholars consider him the greatest apologist or
defender
of the faith from the 2nd century. He was beheaded with six of his
companions
some time between 163 and 167 A.D.
"This food we call the
Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake except one who
believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the
washing for forgiveness of sins
and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ handed down to us. For we do
not
receive these things as common bread or common drink; but as Jesus
Christ
our Savior being incarnate by God's Word took flesh and blood for our
salvation,
so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the Word of
prayer
which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by
transformation, is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus."
" First Apology", Ch. 66,
inter A.D. 148-155.
"God has therefore
announced in advance that all the sacrifices offered in His name, which
Jesus Christ offered, that is, in the Eucharist of the Bread and of the
Chalice, which are offered by us Christians in every part of the world,
are pleasing to Him."
"Dialogue with Trypho",
Ch. 117, circa 130-160 A.D.
Moreover, as I said
before, concerning the sacrifices which you at that time offered, God
speaks through Malachias, one of the twelve, as follows: 'I have no
pleasure in you, says the Lord; and I will not accept your sacrifices
from your hands; for from the rising of the sun until its setting, my
name has been glorified among the gentiles; and in every place incense
is offered to my name, and a
clean offering: for great is my name among the gentiles, says the Lord;
but you profane it.' It is of the sacrifices offered to Him in every
place
by us, the gentiles, that is, of the Bread of the Eucharist and
likewise
of the cup of the Eucharist, that He speaks at that time; and He says
that
we glorify His name, while you profane it."
-"Dialogue with Trypho",
[41: 8-10]
ST. IRENAEUS OF LYONS
St. Irenaeus succeeded
St. Pothinus
to become the second bishop of Lyons in 177 A.D. Earlier in his life he
studied
under St. Polycarp. Considered, one of the greatest theologians of the
2nd
century, St. Irenaeus is best known for refuting the Gnostic heresies.
[Christ] has declared the
cup, a part of creation, to be his own Blood, from which he causes our
blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as
his own Body, from which he gives increase to our bodies."
Source: St. Irenaeus of
Lyons, Against Heresies, 180 A.D.:
"So then, if the mixed
cup and
the manufactured bread receive the Word of God and become the
Eucharist, that
is to say, the Blood and Body of Christ, which fortify and build up the
substance
of our flesh, how can these people claim that the flesh is incapable of
receiving
God's gift of eternal life, when it is nourished by Christ's Blood and
Body
and is His member? As the blessed apostle says in his letter to the
Ephesians,
'For we are members of His Body, of His flesh and of His bones' (Eph.
5:30).
He is not talking about some kind of 'spiritual' and 'invisible' man,
'for
a spirit does not have flesh an bones' (Lk. 24:39). No, he is talking
of
the organism possessed by a real human being, composed of flesh and
nerves
and bones. It is this which is nourished by the cup which is His Blood,
and
is fortified by the bread which is His Body. The stem of the vine takes
root in the earth and eventually bears fruit, and 'the grain of wheat
falls
into the earth' (Jn. 12:24), dissolves, rises again, multiplied by the
all-containing
Spirit of God, and finally after skilled processing, is put to human
use.
These two then receive the Word of God and become the Eucharist, which
is
the Body and Blood of Christ."
-"Five Books on the
Unmasking and Refutation of the Falsely
Named Gnosis". Book 5:2,
2-3, circa 180 A.D. "For just as the bread which comes from the earth,
having received the invocation of God, is no longer ordinary bread, but
the Eucharist, consisting of two realities, earthly and heavenly, so
our bodies, having received the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible,
because they have the hope
of the resurrection."
-"Five Books on the
Unmasking and Refutation of the Falsely named Gnosis". Book 4:18 4-5,
circa 180 A.D.
ST. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA
St. Clement of Alexandria
studied under Pantaenus. He later succeeded him as the director of the
school of catechumens in Alexandria, Egypt around the year 200 A.D.,
"The Blood of the Lord,
indeed, is twofold. There is His corporeal Blood, by which we are
redeemed from corruption; and His spiritual Blood, that with which we
are anointed. That is to say, to drink the Blood of Jesus is to share
in His immortality. The strength of the Word is the Spirit just as the
blood is the strength of the body. Similarly, as wine is blended with
water, so is the Spirit with man. The one, the Watered Wine, nourishes
in faith, while the other, the Spirit, leads us on to immortality. The
union of both, however, - of the drink and of the Word, - is called the
Eucharist, a praiseworthy and excellent gift. Those who partake of it
in faith are sanctified in body and in soul. By the will of the Father,
the divine mixture, man, is mystically united to the Spirit
and to the Word.",
-"The Instructor of the
Children". [2,2,19,4] ante 202 A.D.,
"The Word is everything
to a
child: both Father and Mother, both Instructor and Nurse. 'Eat My
Flesh,' He says, 'and drink My Blood.' The Lord supplies us with these
intimate nutrients. He delivers over His Flesh, and pours out His
Blood; and nothing is lacking for the growth of His children. O
incredible mystery!",
-"The Instructor of the
Children" [1,6,41,3] ante 202 A.D.. ,
ST. CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE
St. Cyprian of Carthage
converted from paganism to Christianity around the year 246 A.D. Soon
afterwards, he aspired to the priesthood and eventually was ordained
Bishop of Carthage. He was beheaded for his Faith in the year 258 A.D.,
thus he was the first African bishop to have been martyred.,
"So too the the sacred
meaning of the Pasch lies essentially in the fact, laid down in Exodus,
that the lamb - slain as a type of Christ - should be eaten in one
single home. God says the words: 'In one house shall it be eaten, ye
shall not cast its flesh outside.' The flesh of Christ and the Lord's
sacred body cannot be cast outside, nor have believers any other home
but the one Church.",
-"The Unity of the
Catholic Church". Ch.8, circa 249-258 A.D.,
Description of an event
in which
an infant was taken to a pagan sacrifice and then the mother recovered
it
and brought it to Mass.
"Listen to what happened
in my presence, before my very eyes. There was a baby girl, whose
parents had fled and had, in their fear, rather improvidently lift it
in the charge of its nurse. The nurse took the helpless child to the
magistrates. There, before the idol where the crowds were flocking, as
it was too young to eat the flesh, they gave it some bread dipped in
what was left of the wine offered by those who had already doomed
themselves. Later, the mother recovered her child. But the girl could
not reveal or tell the wicked thing that had been done, any more than
she had been able to understand or ward it off before.
Thus, when the mother brought her in with her while we were offering
the
Sacrifice, it was through ignorance that this mischance occurred. But
the
infant, in the midst of the faithful, resenting the prayer and the
offering we were making, began to cry convulsively, struggling and
tossing in a veritable brain-storm, and for all its tender age and
simplicity of soul, was confessing, as if under torture, in every way
it could, its consciousness of the misdeed. Moreover, when the sacred
rites were completed and the deacon began ministering to those present,
when its turn came to receive, it turned its little head away as if
sensing the divine presence, it closed its mouth, held its lips tight,
and refused to drink from the chalice. The deacon persisted and,
in spite of its opposition, poured in some of the consecrated chalice.
There followed choking and vomiting. The Eucharist could not remain in
a body
or mouth that was defiled; the drink which had been sanctified by Our
Lord's blood returned from the polluted stomach. So great is the power
of the Lord, and so great His majesty!",
-"The Lapsed" Ch. 25,
circa 249-258 A.D.,
"The priest who imitates
that which Christ did, truly takes the place of Christ, and offers
there in the Church a true and perfect sacrifice to God the Father.",
Source: St. Cyprian wrote
to the Ephesians circa 258 A.D:,
"There was a woman too
who with
impure hands tried to open the locket in which she was keeping Our
Lord's holy body, but fire flared up from it and she was too terrified
to touch it. And a man who, in spite of his sin, also presumed secretly
to join the rest in receiving sacrifice offered by the bishop, was
unable to eat or even handle Our Lord's sacred body; when he opened his
hands, he found he was
holding nothing but ashes. By this one example it was made manifest
that Our
Lord removes Himself from one who denies Him, and that what is received
brings
no blessing to the unworthy, since the Holy One has fled and the saving
grace
is turned to ashes.",
-"The Lapsed" Ch. 26,
circa 249-258 A.D.,
As the prayer proceeds,
we ask
and say: 'Give us this day our daily bread.' This can be understood
both spiritually
and simply, because either understanding is of profit in divine
usefulness
for salvation. For Christ is the bread of life and the bread here is of
all,
but is ours. And as we say 'Our Father,' because He is the Father of
those
who understand and believe, so too we say 'our Bread,' because Christ
is
the bread of those of us who attain to His body. Moreover, we ask that
this
bread be given daily, lest we, who are in Christ and receive the
Eucharist daily as food of salvation, with the intervention of some
more grievous sin, while we are shut off and as non-communicants are
kept from the heavenly bread, be separated from the body of Christ as
He Himself declares, saying: 'I am the bread of life which came down
from heaven. If any man eat of my bread he shall live forever.
Moreover, the bread that I shall give is my flesh for the life of the
world.' Since then He says that, if anyone eats of His bread, he lives
forever, as it is manifest that they live who attain to His body and
receive the Eucharist by right of communion, so on the other hand we
must fear and pray lest anyone, while he is cut off and separated from
the body of Christ, remain apart from salvation, as He Himself
threatens, saying: 'Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and
drink His blood, you shall not have life in you.' And so we petition
that our bread, that is Christ, be given us daily, so that we, who
abide and live in Christ, may not withdraw from His sanctification and
body.",
Source: St. Cyprian of
Carthage, the Lord's Prayer, 252 A.D., chapter 18:,
APHRAATES THE PERSIAN SAGE
Not much biographical
information has been left about Aphraates. It is known that he was one
of the Fathers of the Syrian Church. It is speculated that he was made
bishop late in his life.,
He is thought to have
been born
ca. 280 A.D. and to have died ca. 345 A.D.,
"But the Lord was not yet
arrested. After having spoken thus, the Lord rose up from the place
where He had made the Passover and had given His Body as food and His
Blood as drink, and
He went with His disciples to the place where He was to be arrested.
But
he ate of His own Body and drank of His own Blood, while He was
pondering on the dead. With His own hands the Lord presented His own
Body to be eaten, and before he was crucified He gave His blood as
drink; and He was taken at night on the fourteenth, and was judged
until the sixth hour; and at the sixth hour they condemned Him and
raised Him on the cross.",
- "Treatises" [12,6]
inter 336-345
A.D.,
SERAPION
"'Holy, holy, holy Lord
Sabaoth, heaven and earth is full of Your glory.' Heaven is full, and
full is the earth with your magnificent glory, Lord of Virtues. Full
also is this Sacrifice, with your strength and your communion; for to
You we offer this living Sacrifice, this unbloody oblation.,
To you we offer this
bread, the likeness of the Body of the Only-begotten. This bread is the
likeness of His holy Body because the Lord Jesus Christ, on the night
on which He was betrayed, took bread and broke and gave to His
disciples, saying, 'Take and eat, this is My Body, which is being
broken for you, unto the remission of sins.' On this account too do we
offer the Bread, to bring ourselves into the likeness of His death; and
we pray: Reconcile us all, O God of truth, and be gracious to us. And
just as this Bread was scattered over the mountains and when collected
was made one, so too gather Your holy Church from every nation and
every country and every city and village and house and make
it one living Catholic Church.,
We offer also the cup,
the likeness
of His Blood, because the Lord Jesus Christ took the cup after He had
eaten,
and He said to His disciples, 'Take, drink, this is the new covenant,
which
is My Blood which is being poured out for you unto the remission of
sins.'
For this reason too we offer the chalice, to benefit ourselves by the
likeness
of His Blood. O God of truth, may Your Holy Logos come upon this Bread,
that
the Bread may become the Body of the Logos, and on this Cup, that the
Cup
may become the Blood of the Truth. And make all who communicate receive
the
remedy of life, to cure every illness and to strengthen every progress
and
virtue; not unto condemnation, O God of truth, nor unto disgrace and
reproach!,
For we invoke You, the
Increate, through Your Only-begotten in the Holy Spirit. Be merciful to
this people, sent for the destruction of evil and for the security of
Your Church. We beseech You also on behalf of all the departed, of whom
also this is the commemoration: - after the mentioning of their names:
- Sanctify these souls, for You know them all; sanctify all who have
fallen asleep in the Lord and count them among the ranks of Your saints
and give them a place and abode in your kingdom. Accept also the
thanksgiving of Your people and bless those who offer the oblations and
the Thanksgivings, and bestow health and integrity and festivity and
every progress of soul and body on the whole of this Your people
through your Only-begotten Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit, as it was
and is and will be in generations of generations and unto the whole
expanse of the ages of ages. Amen.",
-"The Sacramentary of
Serapion, Prayer of the Eucharistic Sacrifice" [13],
ST. EPHRAIM
St. Ephraim was one of
the great
authors of the Syrian Church. Because of his beautiful writings, he is
sometimes
referred to as the 'lyre of the Holy Spirit'. He studied under James,
Bishop
of Nisbis. In 338 A.D. he aspired to the diaconate and remained a
deacon
for the remainder of his life.,
"Our Lord Jesus took in
His hands what in the beginning was only bread; and He blessed it, and
signed it, and made it holy in the name of the Father and in the name
of the Spirit; and He broke it and in His gracious kindness He
distributed it to all His disciples one by one. He called the bread His
living Body, and did Himself fill it with Himself and the Spirit.,
And extending His hand,
He gave
them the Bread which His right hand had made holy: 'Take, all of you
eat
of this; which My word has made holy. Do not now regard as bread that
which
I have given you; but take, eat this Bread, and do not scatter the
crumbs;
for what I have called My Body, that it is indeed. One particle from
its
crumbs is able to sanctify thousands and thousands, and is sufficient
to
afford life to those who eat of it. Take, eat, entertaining no doubt of
faith,
because this is My Body, and whoever eats it in belief eats in it Fire
and
Spirit. But if any doubter eat of it, for him it will be only bread.
And
whoever eats in belief the Bread made holy in My name, if he be pure,
he
will be preserved in his purity; and if he be a sinner, he will be
forgiven.' But if anyone despise it or reject it or treat it with
ignominy, it may be taken as certainty that he treats with ignominy the
Son, who called it and actually made it to be His Body.",
-"Homilies" 4,4 ca.. 350
A.D.,
"After the disciples had
eaten the new and holy Bread, and when they understood by faith that
they had eaten of Christ's body, Christ went on to explain and to give
them the whole Sacrament. He took and mixed a cup of wine. The He
blessed it, and signed it, and made it holy, declaring that it was His
own Blood, which was about to be poured out. ...Christ commanded them
to drink, and He explained to them that the cup which they were
drinking was His own Blood: 'This is truly My Blood, which is shed for
all of you. Take, all of you, drink of this, because
it is a new covenant in My Blood, As you have seen Me do, do you also
in
My memory. Whenever you are gathered together in My name in Churches
everywhere,
do what I have done, in memory of Me. Eat My Body, and drink My Blood,
a
covenant new and old.",
-"Homilies" 4,6 ca. 350
A.D.,
"'And your floors shall
be filled
with wheat, and the presses shall overflow equally with wine and oil.'
.
. . This has been fulfilled mystically by Christ, who gave to the
people whom
He had redeemed, that is, to His Church, wheat and wine and oil in a
mystic
manner. For the wheat is the mystery of His sacred Body; and the wine
His
saving Blood; and again, the oil is the sweet unguent with which those
who
are baptized are signed, being clothed in the armaments of the Holy
Spirit.",
-"On Joel 2:24",
Commentaries on Sacred Scripture, Vol. 2 p. 252 of the Assemani
edition.
ST. ATHANASIUS
St. Athanasius was born
in Alexandria
ca. 295 A.D. He was ordained a deacon in 319 A.D. He accompanied his
bishop,
Alexander, to the Council of Nicaea, where he served as his secretary.
Eventually
he succeeded Alexander as Bishop of Alexandria. He is most known for
defending
Nicene doctrine against Arian disputes.,
"'The great Athanasius in
his sermon to the newly baptized says this:' You shall see the Levites
bringing loaves and a cup of wine, and placing them on the table. So
long as the prayers of supplication and entreaties have not been made,
there is only bread and wine. But after the great and wonderful prayers
have been completed, then the bread is become the Body, and the wine
the Blood, of our Lord Jesus Christ. 'And again:' Let us approach the
celebration of the mysteries. This bread and this wine, so long as the
prayers and supplications have not taken place, remain simply what they
are. But after the great prayers and holy supplications have been sent
forth, the Word comes down into the bread and wine - and thus His Body
is confected.",
-"Sermon to the Newly
Baptized" ante 373 A.D.,
ST. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM
St. Cyril served as
Bishop of
Jerusalem in the years 348-378 A.D.,
"`I have received of the
Lord that which I also delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the
same night in which He was betrayed, took bread, etc. [1 Cor. 11:23]'.
This teaching of the Blessed Paul is alone sufficient to give you a
full assurance concerning those Divine Mysteries, which when ye are
vouchsafed, ye are of (the same body) [Eph 3:6] and blood with Christ.
For he has just distinctly said, (That our Lord Jesus Christ the same
night in which He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given
thanks He brake it, and said, Take, eat, this is My Body: and having
taken the cup and given thanks, He said, Take, drink, this is My
Blood.) [1 Cor. 2:23-25] Since then He Himself has declared and said of
the Bread, (This is My Body), who shall dare to doubt any longer? And
since He has affirmed and said, (This is My Blood), who shall ever
hesitate, saying, that it is not His blood?
-"Catechetical Lectures
[22 (Mystagogic 4), 1]
"Therefore with fullest
assurance let us partake as of the Body and Blood of Christ: for in the
figure of Bread is given to thee His Body, and in the figure of Wine
His Blood; that thou by partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ,
mightest be made of the same body and the same blood with Him. For thus
we come to bear Christ in us, because His Body and Blood are diffused
through our members; thus it is
that, according to the blessed Peter, (we become partaker of the divine
nature.)
[2 Peter 1:4]
-"Catechetical Lectures
[22 (Mystagogic 4), 3]
"Contemplate therefore
the Bread
and Wine not as bare elements, for they are, according to the Lord's
declaration,
the Body and Blood of Christ; for though sense suggests this to thee,
let
faith stablish thee. Judge not the matter from taste, but from faith be
fully
assured without misgiving, that thou hast been vouchsafed the Body and
Blood
of Christ.
-"Catechetical Lectures
[22 (Mystagogic 4), 6]"
"9. These things having
learnt, and being fully persuaded that what seems bread is not bread,
though bread by taste, but the Body of Christ; and that what seems wine
is not wine, though the taste will have it so, but the Blood of Christ;
and that of this David sung of old, saying, (And bread which
strengtheneth man's heart, and oil to make his face to shine) [Ps.
104:15], `strengthen thine heart', partaking thereof as spiritual, and
`make the face of thy soul to shine'. And so having it unveiled by a
pure conscience, mayest thou behold as in a glass the
glory of the Lord, and proceed from glory to glory [2 Cor. 3:18], in
Christ
Jesus our Lord:--To whom be honor, and might, and glory, for ever and
ever.
Amen."
Source: St. Cyril of
Jerusalem, Mystagogic Catechesis 4,1, c. 350 A.D.:
"Then upon the completion
of the spiritual Sacrifice, the bloodless worship, over the
propitiatory victim we call upon God for the common peace of the
Churches, for the welfare of the world, for kings, for soldiers and
allies, for the sick, for the afflicted; and in summary, we all pray
and offer this Sacrifice for all who are in
need."
"Mystagogic Catechesis
[23: 5-7]
"Then we make mention
also of
those who have already fallen asleep: first, the patriarchs, prophets,
Apostles,
and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplications God would
receive
our petition; next, we make mention also of the holy fathers and
bishops
who have already fallen asleep, and, to put it simply, of all among us
who
have already fallen asleep; for we believe that it will be of very
great
benefit of the souls of those for whom the petition is carried up,
while
this holy and most solemn Sacrifice is laid out."
-Mystagogic Catechesis
[23
(Mystagogic 5), 10]
"After this you hear the
singing which invites you with a divine melody to the Communion of the
Holy Mysteries, and which says, 'Taste and see that the Lord is good.'
Do not trust to the judgement of the bodily palate - no, but to
unwavering faith. For they who are urged to taste do not taste of bread
and wine, but to the antitype, of the Body and Blood of Christ."
-"Mystagogic Catecheses 5
23, 20 ca. 350 A.D
"Keep these traditions
inviolate, and preserve yourselves from offenses. Do not cut yourselves
off from Communion, do not deprive yourselves, through the pollution of
sins, of these Holy and Spiritual Mysteries."
-"Mystagogic Catechesis
[23 (Mystagogic 5), 23]"
ST. HILARY OF POITERS
St. Hilary firmly
defended the
Nicene Creed against Arian false doctrines. He was ordained Bishop of
Poiters
in 350 A.D. His efforts led to the collapse of Arianism in the West. He
was
proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pius IX in 1851.
"When we speak of the
reality of Christ's nature being in us, we would be speaking foolishly
and impiously - had we not learned it from Him. For He Himself says:
'My Flesh is truly Food, and My Blood is truly Drink. He that eats My
Flesh and drinks My Blood will remain in Me and I in him.' As to the
reality of His Flesh and Blood, there is no room left for doubt,
because now, both by the declaration of the Lord Himself and by our own
faith, it is truly the Flesh and it is truly Blood. And These Elements
bring it about, when taken and consumed, that
we are in Christ and Christ is in us. Is this not true? Let those who
deny
that Jesus Christ is true God be free to find these things untrue. But
He
Himself is in us through the flesh and we are in Him, while that which
we
are with Him is in God."
-"The Trinity" [8,14]
inter 356-359 A.D.
ST. BASIL THE GREAT
St. Basil is recognized
as the
founder of Eastern monasticism. He was ordained Bishop of Caesarea in
370
A.D. He defended the Catholic Church against two waves of Arian
attacks. The
first movement denied the divinity of Christ. The second denied the
divinity of the Holy Spirit. He is considered one of the greatest
saints of the Oriental Church.
"What is the mark of a
Christian? That he be purified of all defilement of the flesh and of
the spirit in the Blood of Christ, perfecting sanctification in the
fear of God and the love of Christ, and that he have no blemish nor
spot nor any such thing; that he be holy and blameless and so eat the
Body of Christ and drink His Blood; for 'he that eateth and drinketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgement to himself.' What is the mark
of those who eat the Bread and drink the Cup of Christ? That they keep
in perpetual remembrance Him who died for us and rose again."
-"The Morals" Ch. 22
"He, therefore, who
approaches the Body and Blood of Christ in commemoration of Him who
died for us and rose again must be free not only from defilement of
flesh and spirit, in order that he may not eat drink unto judgement,
but he must actively manifest the remembrance of Him who died for us
and rose again, by being dead to sin, to the world, and to himself, and
alive unto God in Christ Jesus, our Lord."
-"Concerning Baptism"
Book I,
Ch. 3.
"To communicate each day
and to partake of the holy Body and Blood of Christ is good and
beneficial; for He says quite plainly: 'He that eats My Flesh and
drinks My Blood has eternal life.' Who can doubt that to share
continually in life is the same thing as having life abundantly? We
ourselves communicate four times each week, on Sunday, Wednesday,
Friday, and Saturday; and on other days if there is a commemoration of
any saint."
-"Letter to a Patrician
Lady Caesaria" [93] ca. 372 A.D.
ST. EPIPHANIUS OF SALAMIS
"We see that the Saviour
took [something] in His hands, as it is in the Gospel, when He was
reclining at the supper; and He took this, and giving thanks, He said:
'This is really Me.' And He gave to His disciples and said: 'This is
really Me.' And we see that It is not equal nor similar, not to the
incarnate image, not to the invisible divinity, not to the outline of
His limbs. For It is round of
shape, and devoid of feeling. As to Its power, He means to say even of
Its
grace, 'This is really Me.'; and none disbelieves His word. For anyone
who
does not believe the truth in what He says is deprived of grace and of
a
Savior."
-"The Man Well-Anchored"
[57] 374 A.D.
ST. GREGORY OF NAZIANZ
St. Gregory was
consecrated Bishop of Sasima in the year 371 A.D and was a friend of
St. Basil for most of his life.
"Cease not to pray and
plead for me when you draw down the Word by your word, when in an
unbloody cutting you cut the Body and Blood of the Lord, using your
voice for a sword."
-"Letter to Amphilochius,
Bishop of Iconium" [171] ca. 383 A.D.
ST. GREGORY OF NYSSA
"Rightly then, do we
believe that the bread consecrated by the word of God has been made
over into the Body of the God the Word. For that Body was, as to its
potency bread; but it has been consecrated by the lodging there of the
Word, who pitched His tent in the flesh."
-"The Great Catechism
[37:
9-13]"
"He offered Himself for
us, Victim and Sacrifice, and Priest as well, and 'Lamb of God, who
takes away the sin of the world.' When did He do this? When He made His
own Body food and His own Blood drink for His disciples; for this much
is clear enough to anyone, that a sheep cannot be eaten by a man unless
its being eaten be preceded by its being slaughtered. This giving of
His own Body to His disciples for eating clearly indicates that the
sacrifice of the Lamb has now been
completed."
-"Orations and Sermons"
[Jaeger: Vol 9, p. 287] ca. 383 A.D.
"The bread is at first
common bread; but when the mystery sanctifies it, it is called and
actually becomes the Body of Christ."
-"Orations and Sermons"
[Jaeger Vol 9, pp. 225-226] ca. 383 A.D.
ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM
From 386-397 A.D. St.
John Chrysostom
served as a priest in the main church of Antioch. He soon became renown
for
his preaching and writing skills. In 397 A.D. he succeeded St. Gregory
of
Nazianz as Bishop of Constantinople.
"When the word says,
'This is
My Body,' be convinced of it and believe it, and look at it with the
eyes of the mind. For Christ did not give us something tangible, but
even in His tangible things all is intellectual. So too with Baptism:
the gift is bestowed through what is a tangible thing, water; but what
is accomplished is intellectually perceived: the birth and the renewal.
If you were incorporeal He would have given you those incorporeal gifts
naked; but since the soul is intertwined with the body, He hands over
to you in tangible things that which is perceived intellectually. How
many now say, 'I wish I could see His shape, His appearance, His
garments, His sandals.' Only look! You see Him! You touch Him! You eat
Him!"
-"Homilies on the Gospel
of Matthew" [82,4] 370 A.D.
"I wish to add something
that is plainly awe-inspiring, but do not be astonished or upset. This
Sacrifice, no matter who offers it, be it Peter or Paul, is always the
same as that which Christ gave His disciples and which priests now
offer: The offering of today is in no way inferior to that which Christ
offered, because it is not men who sanctify the offering of today; it
is the same Christ who sanctified His own. For just as the words which
God spoke are the very same as those which the priest now speaks, so
too the oblation is the very same."
Source: St. John
Chrysostom, "Homilies on the Second Epistle to Timothy," 2,4, c. 397
A.D.
"It is not the power of
man which makes what is put before us the Body and Blood of Christ, but
the power of Christ Himself who was crucified for us. The priest
standing there in the place of Christ says these words but their power
and grace are from God. 'This is My Body,' he says, and these words
transform what lies before him."
Source: St. John
Chrysostom, "Homilies on the Treachery of Judas" 1,6; d. 407 A.D.:
"'The cup of blessing
which we bless, is it not communion of the Blood of Christ?' Very
trustworthily and awesomely does he say it. For what he is saying is
this: 'What is in the cup is that which flowed from His side, and we
partake of it.' He called it a cup of blessing because when we hold it
in our hands that is how we praise Him in song, wondering and
astonished at His indescribable Gift, blessing Him because of His
having poured out this very Gift so that we might not remain in error,
and not only for His having poured out It out, but also for His sharing
It with all of us."
-"Homilies on the First
Letter to the Corinthians" [24,1] ca. 392 A.D.
ST. AMBROSE OF MILAN
"You perhaps say: 'My
bread is usual.' But the bread is bread before the words of the
sacraments; when consecration has been added, from bread it becomes the
flesh of Christ. So let us confirm this, how it is possible that what
is bread is the body of Christ. By what words, then, is the
consecration and by whose expressions? By those of the Lord Jesus. For
all the rest that are said in the preceding are said by the priest:
praise to God, prayer is offered, there is a petition for the people,
for kings, for the rest. When it comes to performing a venerable
sacrament, then the priest uses not his own expressions, but he uses
the expressions of Christ. Thus the expression of Christ performs this
sacrament."
-"The Sacraments" Book 4,
Ch.4:14.
"Let us be assured that
this is not what nature formed, but what the blessing consecrated, and
that greater efficacy resides in the blessing than in nature, for by
the blessing nature is changed. . . . Surely the word of Christ, which
could make out of nothing that which did not exist, can change things
already in existence into what they were not. For it is no less
extraordinary to give things new natures than to change their natures.
. . . Christ is in that Sacrament, because it is the Body of Christ;
yet, it is not on that account corporeal food,
but spiritual. Whence also His Apostle says of the type: `For our
fathers ate spiritual food and drink spiritual drink.' [1 Cor. 10:2-4]
For the body of God is a spiritual body."
-"On the Mysteries" 9,
50-52, 58; 391 A.D.:
"His poverty enriches,
the fringe
of His garment heals, His hunger satisfies, His death gives life, His
burial
gives resurrection. Therefore, He is a rich treasure, for His bread is
rich.
And 'rich' is apt for one who has eaten this bread will be unable to
feel
hunger. He gave it to the Apostles to distribute to a believing people,
and
today He gives it to us, for He, as a priest, daily consecrates it with
His
own words. Therefore, this bread has become the food of the saints."
-"The Patriarchs" Ch.
9:38
"Thus, every soul which
receives the bread which comes down from heaven is a house of bread,
the bread of Christ, being nourished and having its heart strengthened
by the support of the heavenly bread which dwells within it."
-"Letter to Horontianus"
circa 387 A.D.
EGERIA
"Following the dismissal
from the Martyrium, everyone proceeds behind the Cross, where, after a
hymn is sung and a prayer is said, the bishop offers the sacrifice and
everyone receives Communion. Except on this one day, throughout the
year the sacrifice is never offered behind the Cross save on this day
alone."
-"Diary of a Pilgrimage"
Ch. 35.
Describes a Mass held in
front of Mt. Sinai.
"All of the proper
passage from
the Book of Moses was read, the sacrifice was offered in the prescribed
manner,
and we received Communion."
-"Diary of a Pilgrimage"
Ch. 3.
AURELIUS PRUDENTIUS CLEMENS
"Such is the hidden
retreat where Hippolytus' body is buried. Next to an altar nearby,
built for the worship of God. Table from which the sacrament all holy
is given, close to the martyr it stands, set as a faithful guard."
-"Hymns for Every Day"
Hymn 170.
ST. JEROME
"After the type had been
fulfilled by the Passover celebration and He had eaten the flesh of the
lamb with His Apostles, He takes bread which strengthens the heart of
man, and goes on to the true Sacrament of the Passover, so that just as
Melchisedech, the priest of the Most High God, in prefiguring Him, made
bread and wine an offering, He too makes Himself manifest in the
reality of His own Body and Blood."
-"Commentaries on the
Gospel of Matthew" [4,26,26] 398 A.D.
APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTIONS
"A bishop gives the
blessing, he does not receive it. He imposes hands, he ordains, he
offers the Sacrifice"
"Apostolic Constitutions
[8, 28, 2:9]"
ST. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA
"Christ said indicating
(the bread and wine): 'This is My Body,' and "This is My Blood," in
order that you might not judge what you see to be a mere figure. The
offerings, by the hidden power of God Almighty, are changed into
Christ's Body and Blood, and by receiving these we come to share in the
life-giving and sanctifying efficacy of Christ."
Source: St. Cyril of
Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew 26,27, 428 A.D.:
"We have been instructed
in these matters and filled with an unshakable faith, that that which
seems to be bread, is not bread, though it tastes like it, but the Body
of Christ, and that which seems to be wine, is not wine, though it too
tastes as such, but the Blood of Christ . . . draw inner strength by
receiving this bread as spiritual food and your soul will rejoice."
Source: St. Cyril of
Alexandria, "Catecheses," 22, 9; "Myst." 4; d. 444 A.D.:
ST. AUGUSTINE
"You ought to know what
you have received, what you are going to receive, and what you ought to
receive daily. That Bread which you see on the altar, having been
sanctified by the word of God, is the Body of Christ. The chalice, or
rather, what is in
that chalice, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the Blood
of
Christ."
-"Sermons", [227, 21]
"He who made you men, for
your sakes was Himself made man; to ensure your adoption as many sons
into an everlasting inheritance, the blood of the Only-Begotten has
been shed for you. If in your own reckoning you have held yourselves
cheap because of your earthly frailty, now assess yourselves by the
price paid for you; meditate, as you should, upon what you eat, what
you drink, to what you answer 'Amen'".
-"Second Discourse on
Psalm 32". Ch. 4. circa
"For
the whole Church observes this practice which was handed down by the
Fathers: that it prayers for those who have died in the communion of
the Body and Blood of Christ, when they are commemorated in their own
place in the sacrifice itself; and the sacrifice is offered also in
memory of them on their behalf.
